1.
Snipping Tool
There are tons of simple screenshot tools out there, but did
you know there’s a rather good one built into Windows? Simply start typing
the word “snipping” in the Windows search to find the snipping tool. With
it, you can take 4 kinds of screenshots – full-screen, window, rectangular or
free-form.
The snipping tool comes complete with a simple image editor
where you can highlight things, mark things with different color pens and
e-mail your screenshot to friends.
You can save your creation as HTML, JPG, PNG or GIF.
2.
Sticky Notes
To access this (very) basic feature, start typing “sticky
notes” in the Windows search.
It might not be a full-featured and sophisticated solution
like Stickies but it sure provides the necessary basics. You can create
multiple sticky notes in different colors and use almost any keyboard shortcut
you’d use in Word, including CTRL+ALT+L for lists, CTRL+1,2,5 for line spacing,
and more.
3.
Magnifier
This is a very useful tool for those who find common font
sizes too small to comfortably read. One solution is to increase resolution, which
makes everything look bad, and the other is to use Magnifier. Start typing
“Magnifier” in Windows search to find this tool. Using it, you will be able
to choose between magnifying your whole screen, using a lens for specific areas
or using the docked version in which the top part of your screen becomes the
magnified portion of the bottom part.
You can choose the amount of magnification you get and how
it changes when you click + or –. You can also use Magnifier to invert all your
monitor colors, for a relaxed white-on-black experience.
4.
Sound Recorder
There are many tools out there that can record, edit and
convert audio to multiple formats. Sound Recorder is not one of them. Start
typing “record” in Windows search to find this tool, which you can use to
record simple WMA files, and that’s it.
If you have nothing installed and you just need to make a
simple recording, you can launch this tiny tool and be done within seconds. Click
“Start Recording” and record your sound. When you click “Stop Recording”, it
will automatically open a saving dialogue and allow you to save your creation
as WMA. If you wish, you can later convert this file to other formats using a
different program.
5.
Remote Assistance
Do you often need to help someone else using a remote
control program? Or do you sometimes need some help yourself? There are some
very popular programs that do this, and do it well, but there is also a
built-in remote assistance solution in Windows 7. Start typing “remote”
in Windows search and launch “Windows Remote Assistance”. You will be
prompted to choose whether you’re giving or receiving help.
If you require assistance, you’ll be able to choose between
creating an invitation file which you can send to your helper along with a
password, or using Easy Connect, which is just exchanging passwords but it
doesn’t always work.
You can also chat with your helper, and configure how much
bandwidth the program will use, among other things.
6.
Problem Steps
Recorder
If remote assistance is not enough, you can use Windows’
problem steps recorder. This tool records everything you do, and creates an MHT
file complete with screenshots (even of multiple monitors) and a description of
every step you made. You can also add comments to every step. To run it,
type “psr” in Windows search.
When you’re done recording the steps, the program will
automatically save the output as a ZIP file containing an MHT file.
7.
Malicious Software
Removal Tool
This one is somewhat more known, and is a good tool to use
in addition to other anti-virus programs. If your regular program doesn’t
detect something, or if you happen to have nothing else installed, Windows
provides its own malicious software removal tool. Type “mrt”
in Windows search to find it.
You can choose between a quick scan, a full scan and a
customized scan, and MRT will scan your computer and give you a report on its
findings.
The tool only scans for a somewhat limited list of malicious
software, so it cannot replace an anti-virus, but you can use it for extra
security, and it also provides links to further reading on each malware on the
list.
8.
Disc Image Burner
This is more of a bonus than a hidden tool, but it can still
be pretty useful. If you have ISO files you need to burn, and you don’t happen
to have any other burning software installed, double clicking it will open the
Windows Disc Image Burner.
You can use this simple tool to burn the disc image, and
that’s pretty much it. If you’ve associated ISO files with another program, you
can access the disc image burning by right-clicking the file, choosing “Open
with…” and clicking on Windows Disc Image Burner.
Conclusion
If you already knew about all these tools, don’t be put off,
even a reminder of something you already know can be quite useful at times.
Some of these tools can be quite useful, especially on a new machine where you
still have nothing installed, but not only then. If some of these were new to
you – welcome to the secret Windows 7 tools club!
Credit: makeuseof.com
No comments:
Post a Comment